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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. clip — to cut
  4. band — a ring
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. snap — to click
  8. clip — a video
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. band — a music group
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. clip — for paper
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — a stone
  24. chair — a leader

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com